The Right Decision
by X-DarkEyes-X
Summary: Phil and Monica are getting dangerously close...can Sam keep them apart singlehandedly?
1. Chapter 1

Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon sat in her office with both her arms crossed over her chest, wearing a frown. The clock on her desk showed 09:14 and her clock was never wrong. That meant that he was fourteen minutes late and counting, the wayward DS – Phil Hunter.

Fourth time this week, Sam fumed as the clock changed to show 09:15. She'd let him get away with it for the past few days, thinking that everyone was late once in a while. Being late one day was ok, two days was unfortunate, three was only just acceptable but four? He'd gotten away with it for long enough now. It was time to pull him, show him that she would not tolerate his late coming and demonstrate her authority over him. Not that she wanted to of course…he really was leaving her with no choice though.

The clock flicked to 09:16 and the CID doors opened revealing a calm, unruffled detective sergeant. He strode towards his desk as though it was perfectly normal to walk into work sixteen minutes late, and rifled through the files, looking for a half decent case that would take him out of the station.

"D.S Hunter?" Sam called in a loud, firm voice while poking her head out of the office door. "Can I have a word please?" She asked in a steely voice.

Phil dropped the file he was holding and walked towards his superior's office slightly apprehensively. He knew exactly what this was about. She stood back to allow him to enter the small room and closed the door firmly behind him.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Sam sighed to herself. As usual…he was playing dumb.

"What do you mean 'well what'? What are you doing walking in here sixteen minutes late, fourth day in a row, without an apology or a reason?" She demanded, maintaining eye contact with him to show he couldn't intimidate her or fob her off with his charm.

Phil sighed quietly; surely she had more important things to be doing than having a go at him.

"I'm sorry I'm late Sa…guv, I had something to do first and it took a little longer than expected.". Sam fixed him with a penetrating glare.

"Did this thing by any chance have something to do with Monica Dreyfuss?"

Phil blinked. She knew him to well, one of the downsides to having your best friend and ex-lover promoted to your boss.

"Yes, it did but hear me out Sam..erm…guv" He said quickly, seeing her open her mouth furiously. She closed it again after a moments consideration and her expression changed to accusatory. "She called me again this morning after hearing a noise outside. She thought it was a burglar or something."

"And was it?"

"Well…no" Sam opened her mouth again but Phil cut over her. "But she was really scared and I couldn't just leave her like that could I?" He watched her carefully with large round eyes, appealing to her softer side.

"You know how I feel about this situation Phil" She said after a moments thought.

"I know but with all due respect guv…I mean Sam…no…guv" he corrected himself with a slight pink tinge on his cheeks "There's nothing you can do to stop me. I'm just doing Louis a favour while he's away, that's all. He asked me to keep an eye on Monica and look after her until he gets back…"

"And you have no alternative motive?" Sam interrupted

"No…I don't" Sam stared at him for a minute, trying to read his face but it was passive. "I won't be late again guv, I'm sorry"

"You'd better not be D.S Hunter because if you step foot in this office so much as a minute late tomorrow morning then this matter goes to the D.C.I is that clear?" Phil nodded his head. "Good, now go and get some work done. I want those reports from yesterday on my desk by lunchtime or I'll come looking for them." She nodded her head at him giving him permission to leave.

"Yes guv" He left the office, closing the door behind him quietly and walked back over to his desk with Sam watching his every move from her window.

What had changed between them? She wondered. They used to be such good friends and now she felt as though she couldn't talk to him about anything like she had before. She no longer knew what was going on inside that head of his but one thing was for sure…she was going to try her utmost best to keep Phil Hunter and Monica Dreyfuss apart…


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey I know I've been terrible with updates recently but I have a lot of free time on my hands just now so hopefully the next chapter will be up soon : )**

* * *

"There's those reports you wanted guv" Phil said, walking into the DI's office and depositing a bundle of papers onto her desk.

"You know, it is good manners to knock before entering DS Hunter" Sam said without glancing up from the file on which she was writing. Phil held back an exasperated sigh and settled instead for rolling his eyes.

"Yes Ma'am"

"What are you working on now?" She asked before he reached the door and could made a quick exit.

"Well only a couple of cases have come in and the others are dealing with them so I guess I'm stuck doing paperwork all afternoon."

"Right, well you'd better go and make a start on it then hadn't you?" Sam nodded her head slightly, still writing away. Phil turned and reached for the door handle but was stopped by a familiar buzzing from his inside pocket. He pulled out his phone and answered without checking who was calling first.

"DS Hunter...yes…are you sure...no, no calm down Monica, I'll be right over." Phil hung up and turned back round to face Sam who had finally torn herself away from her work at the mention of Monica's name and was now gazing at him with questioning eyes.

"What was all that about?" She asked when Phil failed to speak.

"Monica thinks she heard an intruder" He answered somewhat reluctantly, knowing what Sam thought of Monica Dreyfuss.

"Again?" she asked in a rather bored voice.

"Yeah look Sam, I know it's probably another false alarm but I promised Louis I'd keep an eye on her and well seen as theres nothing else to do…" Sam considered him for a moment, searching his face with her dark green eyes.

"Ok" Phil breathed a sigh of relief. Telling Monica he wouldn't be over was not something he particularly wanted to face.

"Thank you Sam. I mean guv" He added quickly "I'll only be…"

"But I'm coming with you" Phil looked at her

"You what?"

"You heard perfectly well Phil and like you said, theres nothing else to do and also, this way I can keep an eye on you."

"Yes ma'am" Sam stood up, wrapped her coat around herself and brushed past Phil out of the office.

"You coming or what?" She called back to him

"Of course I'm coming" he said while closing her office door behind him

"Good, you can drive"

* * *

"Wow!" Sam exclaimed as Phil pulled up outside the Dreyfuss manor. "Nice place"

"Yeah it is, oh here's Monica" Sam looked over and saw the pretty, young French girl hurrying out the door in a pale blue dressing gown and fluffy slippers to match which nicely showed off her tanned legs. Her long, curly hair was loose around her shoulders, blowing back slightly in the breeze and a panicked look was etched on her face.

"Phil! At last, I thought you 'ad forgotten me" She cried in her foreign accent. She threw herself into Phil's arms and sobbed quietly on his shoulder while Sam looked on with raised eyebrows. "I 'ave been so frightened Phil"

"Shh, it's ok now Monica. I'm here now" Phil comforted her as he softly ran his hands up and down her back and pulled her closer to him. She took a step back and looked into his eyes.

"Come into the 'ouse." She ran back up the front steps and disappeared into the hallway.

"Cosy" Sam commented dryly.

"Oh be quiet…guv" He added hastily as she glared icily at him.

"Come on then what are you waiting for?" She said coldly, leading the way into the six bed roomed house. They found Monica in the living room waiting patiently for them.

"Look at this" she pointed to the floor by her feet. Sam stepped sideways so she could see. An expensive looking phone lay there with the plastic cover smashed. "I did not do this! The intruder must 'ave knocked it over. Maybe that was the noise I 'eard."

"What time was this Miss Dreyfuss?"

"About thirty minutes before yourself and Phil arrived."

"And what were you doing at the time?"

"I was upstairs in the bath. I 'eard a crash from down 'ere and I phone Phil straight away. Do you think it was the same man as this morning?" She directed her question at Phil.

"It's possible but there was no one here before Monica. I searched the entire house and grounds."

"What makes you think it was a man Miss Dreyfuss?" Sam asked. Monica frowned.

"Well…I assumed…"

"But you didn't actually see anyone?"

"Well…no but 'ow do you explain the phone?" Monica asked heatedly

"Maybe it fell" Sam suggested dryly.

"It could not 'ave fallen! It was right 'ere in the centre of the table, it could not 'ave fell by itself!" Monica said in a raised voice, clearly getting agitated "Why don't you believe me?" She half shouted, staring at Sam with the beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"We do believe you Monica" Phil said quickly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and glaring at his superior. "We'll bag this up and have it sent away to forensics" he gestured towards the broken phone. In the meantime I'll have a look around again if you want."

"Thank you Phil, I knew you would 'elp" She gazed lovingly at Phil while he scooped the phone into a clear, plastic bag.

"I'll just be a minute" He handed the bag to Sam and then strode away towards the stairs to search the upper levels, leaving Monica and Sam in an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

"Well I've searched the entire house and the garden twice and there no sign of an intruder, everything seems normal."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely positive" Monica smiled at him

"Thank you"

"I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Goodbye Phil" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek gently. "I am very grateful" He grinned and winked at her then gestured to Sam to follow him out which she did rather reluctantly. Who was he to order her around?

"Well you two are very close" She commented as Phil started the ignition

"Hardly"

"Oh come off it Phil, you could barely keep your eyes of her!"

"Well she's an attractive girl Sam" He replied in an infuriating tone

"Yeah and she's also married! I know that's never stopped you before but…"

"Why are you so bothered Sam? It's none of your concern!" The tires screeched, gravel flew in all directions from beneath the wheel and Sam was thrown back in her seat as Phil sped out of the driveway, back onto the rather posh street, his face slightly red in places. Why did she insist on annoying him so much? What happened to the beautiful friendship they had once shared?

Sam seemed to be thinking along these lines too. She turned to face Phil after a moment and looked directly into his eyes but he refused to give in that easily.

"I'm sorry Phil"

"Ha! Yeah right!"

"No really…I…" She trailed off and sighed, knowing it was no good just now and sank back into her seat, staring out the window with her chin resting on her fist. Phil watched her out of the corner of his eye. It must have taken guts for her to apologise to him like that and he knew he would regret rejecting her like that later on but for now…he was just too angry to care…


	3. Chapter 3

"Guv the forensic report has just come through; there were two sets of fingerprints on that phone. The first belonged to Monica and the second, to her husband Louis."

"Hmm, well we have no evidence of a break in at all so it looks like Monica's just being paranoid." Phil gave a small snort.

"Sam you know as well as I do that whoever broke in probably had the sense to wear gloves."

"Even so, we have no case. The locks weren't broken, none of the windows were open, there's absolutely no CCTV pointing in their direction and as far as we know nothing was taken. We've hit a dead end Phil, there's nothing more we can do."

"Guv" Phil said a little stiffly. Sam had been 'off' with him ever since the little episode in the car and he hadn't forgiven her entirely either. "So shall we go and give Monica the good news then?" he said with a sarcastic smile then turned on his heel and walked out of the office without waiting for a reply. Sam watched him go and sighed, this was going to be a long day if he carried on acting like this.

She dropped her pen, grabbed her jacket and went after him before he left her behind which knowing him, was quite likely. Sam could see the chemistry between her ex-lover and the young French girl and knew that Phil being Phil, it would only be a matter of time before they tumbled into bed together, regardless of her marriage. When she saw them together, with the flirting and the looks they shared, they reminded her of her and Phil a year previously. They had had chemistry, they had been attracted to each other and inevitably they had ended up together. Sam pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. _'That's all in the past'_ she told herself firmly as she opened the heavy door which led to the car park _'and with the way we've been getting on recently it's likely to stay that way'

* * *

_

Phil was waiting for her in his car, drumming his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel and staring determinedly out the side window to avoid her. He didn't look at her or speak to her as she got in, just started the ignition and drove out of the station before she even had a chance to put her seatbelt on.

"Are you going to be like this all day Phil?" Sam asked wearily, getting bored of his immaturity.

"Like what?" he said through gritted teeth.

"Like that!" she answered with a small incredulous laugh. Phil however, did not crack a smile.

"Let's just concentrate on the case shall we?" Sam rolled her eyes and went back to watching the city roll past the window. Phil really could be very childish at times.

* * *

After a ten minute drive in total silence, the car pulled into the driveway. The marks still visible in the ground from their last visit when Phil had sent the gravel flying in his anger.

Sam unclipped her belt and pulled at the door handle, eager to leave the car and hopefully the bad atmosphere behind but Phil grabbed her wrist and pulled her back round to face him before she had a chance to step out. She didn't protest, expecting an apology, however she was sadly disappointed.

"Look, Sam…" he began, finally looking her in the eye. "I know you're the D.I and everything but can you let me do the talking this time? You didn't handle the situation very well before and we don't want to upset Monica again." Sam glared at him for a second and then much to Phil's surprise, smiled.

"Ah, that's what this is all about is it? I upset the new object of your affections so now you're not talking to me?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now Sam cause quite frankly, I'm scared I'll say something I regret!" He retorted angrily

"For goodness sake Phil grow up! She's a married woman!"

"Let's just get on with it shall we?" Phil got out and slammed the door so hard the whole car shook. He stormed up to the front door and knocked without waiting for Sam. It was answered almost immediately by a now fully dressed Monica. She was wearing tight jeans with a white halter-neck top which showed off her tanned skin perfectly and the front bits of her hair were pinned back with a silver clip, leaving her natural curls to cascade down her back.

"Phil! I did not expect to see you so soon." She smiled at him, totally ignoring Sam. Phil leant in close and whispered so only Monica could hear.

"Don't tell my boss" he gestured subtly to Sam standing behind him watching them with distaste "But I made this case a priority" Monica gave a little tinkling laugh and walked through to the living-room leaving Phil to hold the door open for Sam. An act which surprised her given his behaviour in the car. She walked on through with a word and Phil, with difficulty, refrained from rolling his eyes.

"So do you know who it was that broke in yet?"

"I'm afraid not Miss Dreyfuss. The forensics didn't bring anything to light, there's no obvious point of entry…in fact there's no evidence at all to suggest a break-in"

Phil caught Sam's eye and glared menacingly at her, thinking of what he asked of her back in the car. Just because she was the D.I now didn't mean she had to undermine him all the time.

"That doesn't mean we're going to give up though Monica" he said, softening his gaze and switching it to her instead, discreetly stepping in front of Sam as though trying to block her out.

"You will find 'im won't you?" Monica asked worriedly, a small line appeared in her brow.

"Yeah, course we will" he reassured her as her eyes slowly filled with tears.

"I'm so scared Phil" she whispered in her French accent.

"Hey come on, there's no need to be scared." Phil took a step forward, snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her close. He glanced sideways at Sam and hesitated before speaking again, knowing that she wouldn't like what he was about to suggest. "I'll stay here for a few nights if it'll put your mind at rest"

"I would like that" Monica smiled into his chest.

Sam snorted almost inaudibly and gave Phil a death stare over Monica's shoulder. Phil however, refused to meet her eyes and looked anywhere but directly at his D.I, knowing he was going to get a rollicking later. But then again, what could she do? It's not like he was breaking the law or anything, spending a few nights at a married woman's house and it's not like anything was going to happen between them…

* * *

"What the hell are you playing at?" Sam shot at Phil the moment the door had closed behind them, separating them from Monica.

"I'm just looking out for her Sam" he replied wearily

"Looking out for her?!? I know exactly what will happen if you stay overnight as do you so don't you give me any of this 'just looking out for her' crap! I know you too well Phil!" Phil stopped walking and turned back around to face a red-faced, very stern looking Sam.

"Look Sam, I know you don't like this, but face it, there's nothing you can do to stop me." He said calmly while subconsciously clenching his fists.

"We'll see about that" Sam called after him as Phil continued his walk to the car. At her words, he stopped in his tracks, turned around and stomped back up the drive, towering over her, trying to use his height to intimidate her but Sam refused to back down and stood her ground.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked almost aggresively

"Only that I'm going to find a way of keeping you and her apart." Sam was smiling serenely and her tone carried no hint of a threat but Phil could hear a touch of resentment which she had tried so hard to hide.

"Really? And how are you going to do that then Sam?"

"Well I don't know yet" she admitted. A small smirk crept onto his face which only increased her annoyance. "But you know me Phil…never one to back down. I will succeed at this." It was her turn to smirk as a slightly worried look appeared on his face and she headed round to the passenger side of the car. "Oh and Phil…" Sam turned around to see him standing in the exact same spot she had left him, watching her with narrowed eyes "It's guv or ma'am." She opened the door and slid gracefully into the passengers seat. Phil sighed in frustration before storming over to the door and yanking it open so hard he nearly pulled it clean off it's hinges. When he spoke his voice was full of bitterness.

"Yes ma'am"


	4. Chapter 4

"Well that's me off" Phil announced to the half-empty CID office. Standing up, he shut his computer off.

"Hang on a minute mate, that's me too. Fancy going for a pint? I could do with a drink after all this paperwork." Phil smirked and looked pointedly into the DI's office.

"No thanks Terry" He said loudly so his voice carried through the doors to reach Sam's ears. "I'm off to the Dreyfuss's" Sam's head snapped up at the mention of the name she had come to detest. Her brow creased in annoyance and her narrowed eyes followed him out the office. Phil noticed and smirked triumphantly at her, having achieved his aim of bothering her and knowing there was nothing she could do about it. He gave her a little wave before disappearing through the double doors, leaving one swinging behind him.

"What was all that about?" Terry asked Mickey, both having been watching the interaction between the pair.

"Dunno" Mickey replied with a shrug of the shoulders "But the DI doesn't look too happy does she?" Terry swung round in his seat to join Mickey in gazing through the window into the small office where Sam was clearly visible, a frown still distorting her features.

"Your right there" Terry muttered as Sam caught both their eyes in turn and glared at them. "I wonder what's rattled her cage?"

* * *

"Phil! I thought you 'ad forgotten to come, you are late." She fixed him with a glare that Sam would have been proud of. "You were supposed to be 'ere over an 'our ago!"

"Yeah sorry Monica, I got a little held up. Too much paperwork and a narky boss. Never a good combination." Monica chortled slightly and opened her mouth to speak but Phil got there before her. "I brought this though" he smiled genuinely and pulled an expensive bottle of red wine out of a carrier bag which was wrapped round his wrist.

"Well 'ow can I stay annoyed at you now?" She took the bottle off him and placed it on the hall table.

"So am I gonna stand on the doorstep all night or are we going in?" It was Monica's turn to smile now as she took a step back and opened the door fully giving Phil an eyeful! She was no longer fully dressed as she had been earlier on. She was now donning a silky blue nighty with black lace around the bottom and the top. It was short and low-cut with a matching silk dressing gown over it which only reached an inch above her knees. It was exactly Phil's kind of thing.

"I thought you were coming in. or 'ave you changed your mind?" She stood against the door, one arm stretched up and leaning against it for support, the other hand rested on her hip. Her right leg was casually crossed over her left one giving her an almost laid back look. A seductive smile spread across her face.

"Erm…no…no" Phil's mouth had gone completely dry and his mind, blank. He had to be fantasising, this couldn't be real could it? He blinked twice but the image in front of his eyes never changed.

"It's rude to stare Phil" There was laughter in Monica's voice as she spoke. She was clearly enjoying herself. "Maybe I 'ad better remove the temptation"

She reached for the sides of her dressing gown and pulled them together, tying them with a silky blue ribbon so, even though her perfect figure was still on show, Phil could no longer see the provocative nightwear. He cleared his throat nervously and felt his face grow hot as he realised he'd been caught staring.

"This way" Monica smirked, grabbing the wine bottle from the table and walking away towards the living room, the bottle swinging gently in her hand.

"Uh…yeah" Phil said blankly to no one in particular. His mouth was hanging slightly open giving a rather gormless look about him. He swallowed several times, trying to tempt some moisture back into his sandpapery mouth.

* * *

Phil stepped over the threshold into the mansion and gently closed the door behind him, trying to pull himself together as he did so. His mind was still oddly blank. After several deep breaths, he took a few tentative steps forward wondering whether it might not be best to turn back and run while he still had the chance. She was a married woman after all and her husband was a friend of his but before he had time to make a decision…

"Phil?" Monica had appeared in the door frame holding two glasses of wine. "I thought you 'ad run away from me" she smiled. Phil gave a dry laugh

"Of course not" She held a glass up to him which he took gratefully and sipped, looking anywhere but the woman before him.

"So do you 'ave any plans for us this evening?" She also raised the glass to her lips, leaving behind a smidge of lipstick.

"Not really"

"Well I'm sure we'll think of something" She smiled radiantly at him "Why are we standing out in the 'all? Come on through." She grasped his hand and led him through to the living room. It was a hugely spacious room with a cream carpet and large sofas to match. A small glass table stood in the middle with a vase of colourful flowers and to his right, Phil saw the small wooden table that had previously been home to the telephone. A plasma screen television hung on the wall along with various paintings and art works and a small fire crackled gently in the grate of a magnificent fireplace giving the room an overall relaxing and comfortable atmosphere.

Monica dropped Phil's hand and wondered over to the sofa, first placing her glass gently on the table in front before sitting herself down on the luxurious sofa. Her gaze never wavering from Phil's face. She patted the seat next to her which Phil took as an invitation to sit so after a slightly larger sip of wine, he walked forwards but opted to sit opposite her rather than right next to her. Monica wasn't giving up so easily though. She swung her legs up onto the couch so she was now lying on her side, her legs outstretched and her head propped up on her hand. Her gown had mysteriously opened since last time Phil had chanced a glance, revealing the sexy nightdress once more.

As he gazed openly at her, the little voices at the back of Phil's head cried out, begging him to resist but he wasn't sure if he had the strength to. She was a married woman, she was taken. Off limits. This, however, only attracted him to her all the more. Phil had always enjoyed that little bit of danger and that was one thing Monica Dreyfuss certainly offered, the only question was: Could he handle it?

He stood to lose an awful lot if this went pear-shaped. His job, for one, could be on the line and any respect Sam had left for him would be lost despite the many years it had taken him to earn it. Not to mention the fact that she had a husband whom he was on good terms with. Phil didn't suppose Louis would be too impressed if he slept with his wife and Louis was a big man. One might go as far as to call him gangsterish. Phil shuddered to think of the damage Louis could cause him.

He was roused suddenly from the battle going on in his head by a slight dig in the ribs. Phil blinked and looked round. Monica had left the sofa and joined him on the two-seater where he sat.

"Phil? Did you 'ear a word I said?" She asked with a bite of impatience.

"Erm…sorry" Phil cleared his throat nervously " I was thinking"

"Mmm what about?" Monica leant back against the chair and her nighty rode up a few inches.

"Oh…n-nothing much…" He blustered slightly "What were you saying?" He forced his eyes upwards to meet her sparkling pair.

"Oh I was just talking about our sleeping arrangements"

Phil was trying to concentrate on what she was saying but found himself being distracted again. This time by her rosy red lips which were moving as she spoke. He traced the outline of them with his eyes and licked his own nervously, wondering what it would be like to capture them. To lock his own over them and feel the silky softness for himself while running his hands through her soft curls.

"…both sleep in my bed" Phil jerked awake again and switched his gaze to her eyes which were dancing with laughter. A pink tinge appeared on his cheeks as he realise he'd been caught.

"B-Both sleep…in...in your bed? He questioned, unsure as to whether he had heard her right or not.

"Yes, I am saying…for the third time…" she added with a wry smile "That I do not feel safe 'ere after this morning and none of the other beds are made up anyway so it makes sense for us both to sleep together"

Phil's eyes widened

"I mean sleep in the same bed together" Monica corrected herself though Phil was sure that there had been no mistake.

"Uh…yeah…sure. If that's what you want" Phil heard himself saying. Monica chuckled

"What's the matter with you tonight Phil? You seem…distracted" She rested her hand on his thigh and stroked it gently. The pale blue nightdress had ridden up so high that the lace from her French knickers had crept into view and Phil's eyes were glued to it, feeling his blood rushing.

"Maybe we should 'ave an early night" Monica suggested "I feel tired" she said though there was no hint of sleepyness in her voice.

"An early night?" Phil repeated, breaking out of his reverie and looking deep into her lust-filled eyes.

"Sounds good to me" he smiled cheekily, regaining some of his composure "Though…" His face dropped slightly "I have nothing to wear, I didn't bring anything."

"Oh I'm sure we can find something" Monica leaned in closer to him snd whispered in his ear "Though maybe we won't..."

Phil grinned at her again but it slowly faded as his lust took over and he looked down at her. She was so close he could see the cute little freckles on her nose that she had tried to hide with powder and smell the summer fruits of her hair getting stronger the closer she got. Losing the control he had been clinging to for the past half hour, Phil slowly lowered his head and brought his lips down to meet hers, relishing the delicious contact he had craved and moaning softly as he caressed her lips gently with his own.

She responded by arching her back towards him and wrapping her arms around his neck, feeling the tiny hairs standing on end as a shiver coursed through him sending goose bumps up and down his masculine body. Phil brought his own hands up, one holding the side of her face, tenderly stroking her cheek and the other entangled in her soft, black hair, tugging it gently.

Phil's lust-filled heart skipped a beat as her slender fingers slid into his hands and pulled them down onto his lap. He hadn't even realised they had left the back of his neck.

Monica was the first to pull back even though Phil's lips desperately clung to her own, determined not to lose the contact. She leant her forehead against his while taking deep breaths and trying to fight the urge to throw herself at him for another mind-bogging, passion-sparking kiss. Her fingers wrapped tighter around his as she fought the impulse.

"Sh-shall we…shall we take this…upstairs?" Phil asked quietly, giving up any resistance he had left, his mind only on the beautiful woman offering herself to him. Monica nodded wordlessly and wrapped her arms around his neck once more as he curled his own arms around her and picked her up effortlessly. Monica buried her head in his shoulder as he walked slowly towards the spiralling staircase, sucking gently on his neck and teasing another low moan from him but he jerked his head away, conscious of the fact he had to work the following day and reluctant to show up with red bruises on his neck. Monica gazed up at him, wondering if she had done something wrong but these thoughts were banished as he leant down for another kiss…


	5. Chapter 5

"Do you 'ave to go already?" Monica whined "Stay 'ere with me, come back to bed" she purred as she watched Phil pull on his socks at the end of her double bed. His belt was unbuckled and his shit open revealing his tanned, muscular chest.

Monica herself was still in bed propped up on her pillows and trying to think of a feasible excuse to make Phil stay.

"Sorry babe" he replied, now fiddling with his shoe laces. "I wish I could but I've got to get to work. If I'm late one more time this week my boss will go right through me" he turned and smiled at her as he buttoned his shirt.

"Your boss? D.I Nixon?" Monica smirked a little. "Are you scared of 'er D.S Hunter?" she drawled.

Phil paused in the act of buckling his belt to glance up at the small woman in front of him with an incredulous look on his face.

"Scared?" He repeated "Of her?" He snorted and went back to buckling his belt. "I don't think so babe. Have you seen the height of her?"

Monica gave a little tinkling laugh. "You shouldn't judge people by their size Phil. Take me…I'm just as small as D.I Nixon but last night I 'ad you wrapped around my little finger."

"You certainly did babe" Phil said, climbing onto the bed on all fours to kiss her. "That's why I've got to leave now see…the D.I can also wrap me around her little finger."

"You'll be back tonight though won't you?" Monica asked, her hands on the back of his head, running her fingers gently through his hair, flattening it down.

"Course" Phil leant in for one last kiss then climbed off the bed and straightened up, messing his hair back up the way he liked. "See you tonight"

Monica smiled seductively "I'll be waiting"

* * *

Phil reached the station exactly one minute early and took the steps two at a time to ensure the D.I had no reason to shout at him again as she had done every morning that week. He was going to walk into the office with his head held high and gloat about spending the night at Monica's if he got the chance. That would surely be one way of annoying the hell out of her however; he didn't have to wait lo. Sam was standing at the doors to CID apparently waiting for him.

"On time D.S Hunter?" she said. Both her eyebrows were raised giving her a very surprised look. "That's a first"

"Yes ma'am" Phil said politely whilst feeling rather pleased with himself.

"Come on" Sam pushed away from the wall against which she had been leaning and motioning to Phil to follow her. "Assault on the bronte Estate. The victim, a young girl, was attacked while out walking with her baby boy. She's in St. Hughes now with concussion and some serious knife wounds but the word is she's well enough to talk. This is the third attack on that estate in a matter of weeks, there's a chance they could be related..."

The expression on Phil's face told Sam he wasn't listening to a word she was saying but she carried on talking anyway. His eyebrows were lowered in a frown and his mouth open as though trying to get a word in. "Wha…wait!" He began interupting her. "Hold on a second! What about Monica?"

"What about her Phil?" Sam said in a tone which told Phil she was fed up of the subject. "There's nothing we can do" she said very matter of factly while walking delicately down the stairs, heels clicking with every step.

"We can't just leave it!" Phil cried indignantly.

Sam turned around. "Well what do you suggest we do?" she demanded "There's no evidence at all…not even a scrap! I think she's just imagining things."

"Sam" Phil ran down the stairs to meet her, almost tripping on the way. There was a definite note of panic in his voice. He reached her and grabbed her elbows, whirling himself around so he was standing in front of her. "I promised her I'd find this guy! I told her I'd nail him!"

"Well you shouldn't make promises you can't keep" she said calmly. "We've hit a dead end Phil. The case is closed until a new lead comes up…and I doubt one will. You can have the honour of breaking it to her tonight." She wrenched herself free of Phil's grip and carried on down the stairs, buzzing herself through to the reception.

"Oh and by the way Phil" She turned back "How many times do I have to tell you it's guv or ma'am?"

* * *

"Well that was a waste of time" Phil huffed as him and Sam arrived back at the nick.

"Victim doesn't want to press charges…what can you do?"

"I'll tell you what I could have been doing…" Phil began heatedly but Sam cut over him.

"Oh for god's sake Phil don't start about Monica Dreyfuss again!" She half shouted at him being thoroughly fed up of hearing that woman's name. "What is it with her? It's like your obsessed or something."

"I just want to see justice, that's all!"

"For what? Nothing happened!"

Phil opened his mouth to retort but merely closed it again after a moments thought. He didn't trust himself to reply knowing he'd probably end up saying something he'd regret later when she'd yelled at him in front of everyone or done whatever else she could to underline the fact that out of the two, she was the senior officer.

They continued to make their way up to CID in a stony uncomfortable silence. A silence which Sam could not resist breaking.

"So…you stayed at Monica's last night then?" she asked

"Oh here we go!" Phil half laughed "I was wondering when the interrogation would start"

"It's just a simple question Phil" Sam said "Did you?" There was a pause before Phil answered.

"Yes" he said shortly. His temper was beginning to rise.

"And?" Sam prompted him

"And what? Nothing happened! I told you before I'm only staying there to keep an eye on her as a favour to Louis."

Sam almost snorted out loud. "A favour to Louis? Come off it Phil! You and I both know you have an ulterior motive."

"I have no idea what you talking about" Phil replied innocently

"Really? She's a pretty girl and she's obviously attracted to you." She paused but Phil did not speak. "I know you well enough to know that if she'd offered you wouldn't have refused."

"Ok" Phil gave in. She really did know him too well. "Yes Monica came onto me and yes, we ended up sleeping together" he said in a resigned tone. He braced himself for an explosion but it didn't come. Sam did not speak but clicked her tongue disapprovingly

"What? … no lecture?" Phil asked, glancing sideways at his boss. Genuinely surprised at her reaction.

"No, no lecture. You're old enough to know what you're doing and you know I can't stop you. I just hope you know what you're letting yourself in for." There was another awkward pause as they reached the top of the stairs. Sam sighed.

"I'm so disappointed in you Phil" she said as he held the CID doors open for her. "I really thought you'd changed."

Phil felt a little guilty when he heard the disappointment in her voice, regardless of how annoyed he had been at her earlier.

His eyes met Sam's as she entered CID and turned back to look at him and for a second, Phil felt as though they had slipped back in time to when Sam was a sergeant just like him and he had tried endlessly to impress her though more often than not he had tripped up somewhere and let her down. She had always managed to make him feel tiny on those occasions but those days were long gone and Phil hadn't experienced that horrible sinking feeling for months…until now.

Maybe Sam could see beyond his eyes right into his soul because her expression softened as she gazed into them and for a second Phil thought her own eyes looked rather watery. However, a second later he was sure he had imagined it as she straightened herself up and walked into her office, closing the door firmly behind her.

* * *

Not another word passed between the two all day, each too immersed in their own paperwork to chat like they used to though occasionally glancing up and catching each others eye before dropping their gaze hastily.

It was bang on six o'clock when Phil cast the last sheet of paper aside and stood up, giving his muscles a good stretch. Sam was still working hard in her office, trying to get through all of her paperwork so she'd have a clear desk the following morning.

Phil stopped at the door on his way out and leant against the frame with one hand holding his suit jacket over his shoulder.

"See you tomorrow ma'am" he said when Sam didn't look up.

"See you tomorrow Phil, have a good night and try and break your personal record and be on time two days in a row." She glanced up, concealing a smile.

"Well I'll try but I can't promise anything." The corners of Phil's mouth twitched. He left CID in a better mood than he had entered it.

Maybe…just maybe their friendship wasn't dead in the water yet.

* * *

Phil's good mood lasted the whole journey back to his house where he showered and changed and then headed over to Monica's home. He whistled along with the radio whilst entering her drive and it was with high spirits he climbed out and locked the car. However, one look at the huge building was enough to wipe the smile off his face. His happiness drained and fear trickled slowly over him.

The front door was lying wide open and the lock was smashed as though someone had entered by force. There was no sign of life and the door creaked ominously on its hinges as Phil approached it. Wishing he had his asp with him, he entered the house…unaware he was being watched.

"Monica?" he called uncertainly "Monica?"

There was a scuffling from the kitchen and Phil whirled round to face the door. It was wide open but as far as Phil could see the room was empty. Panic was gripping at his heart mingled with fear for Monica. He slowly made his way over to the kitchen, keeping his back to the wall at all times, ready to defend himself if need be.

More and more of the kitchen came into view as he edged towards it. There was broken glass on the floor and a lot of it. A chair had been overturned, pots were scattered everywhere and crouched in the corner, pale and shivering, was Monica.

Phil whispered her name and made to hurry to her side but a panicked look overcame her chalk white face as she stared at a point over Phil's left shoulder. Before he had a chance to look, a heavy blow rained down on the back of his head and Phil felt his knees buckle as he collapsed to the ground, lying spread eagled with a trickle of blood slowly making its way down the back of his neck.

He heard Monica scream but it sounded like she was far in the distance instead of sitting two foot away from him. A tall, black figure stepped over him and reached down to grab her. Phil tried with al his might to get up and help her but the dark figure brought whatever he was holding down on his head again and Phil sank into a dead faint…


End file.
